


Step

by MagpiePair



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kim Byeongkwan-centric, Sehyoon POV, injuries, stage accidents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:40:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27425089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpiePair/pseuds/MagpiePair
Summary: Byeongkwan gets into a stage accident during rehearsal and injures himself, but he tries to downplay it and push through with practice.The aftereffects are... not great.
Relationships: Kang Yuchan | Chan & Kim Byeongkwan, Kim Byeongkwan & Everyone, Kim Byeongkwan & Kim Sehyoon | Wow, Kim Byeongkwan & Lee Donghun, Kim Byeongkwan & Park Junhee | Jun
Kudos: 44





	Step

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! Thanks for clicking and reading the latest in my "whump all my biases and then surround them with love" journey! 
> 
> I wasn't even trying to make this shippy- I wanted it to be gen like my others, but it kind of lowkey ended up Wowkwan-y? Idk man that just seems to be what happens naturally when I try to write their dynamic looool 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Sehyoon is as big a fan of A.C.E.’s spectacular stage performances as anyone. He gets a big rush and a thrilling, electric kind of feeling whenever one of their fancy visual effects or flashy moves garners a big “wow” from the audience, especially since Sehyoon can pretend the fans are calling out his stage name. The pride he gets from their top-notch stages is matched by little else in his life.

Still, there are times when he hates how extra their choreographies can be. When a particularly complicated sequence keeps him up in the late hours of the night practicing. When they introduce a new risky set piece or prop. Times like today. 

Today, Sehyoon really hates all of it.

Because the mood had been so good before it came crashing down. Everyone was energized during rehearsal in the new concert space. Junhee was telling awful dad jokes that still sent them to the floor in fits of hysterical laughter. Donghun and Yuchan were inventing new games during their breaks, frittering away the dregs of their excess energy while the rest of them took the time to actually rest. Byeongkwan and Sehyoon were both excited to show off the new moves they had been practicing. The synergy and synchronicity between the duo is getting better all the time.

Unfortunately, the mood is taken down quite abruptly during one of their tricks with the stage lift. 

Byeongkwan has just finished a particularly complex dance atop his own personal stage lift and is waiting, posture in a cheeky little bow, as the lift lowers. Sehyoon hears more than sees Byeongkwan during the lift’s descent. He hears the music fade out. He hears the gears whirring, whirring, until they click to a halt all at once rather jarringly. He hears Byeongkwan’s small gasp.

And when Byeongkwan slips off the malfunctioning lift a few feet off the ground and falls the rest of the way, Sehyoon thinks he hears a crack.

He must be mistaken, though, because Byeongkwan jumps right back up with a grimace and an exaggerated whine, as though he had tripped over his own shoelaces and not tumbled off an elevated platform down to a hard floor. 

“Kwannie!!” Junhee shouts. He rushes over to his side, the others not far behind. “Are you okay??” Even as he says this, Junhee checks him over, hands on his shoulders and eyes meeting Byeongkwan’s as though to spot the smallest sign of disorientation in the other’s gaze.

Byeongkwan swats away Junhee’s hands as he assures them, “I’m fine! I just tripped a little.”

“More than a little...” Donghun mutters under his breath at the same time that Sehyoon states, “It was the lift’s fault, not yours.” 

Still, Junhee says, “I don’t like the way that fall looked. You should sit out the rest of rehearsal.”

Byeongkwan huffs. “I said I was /fine/!”

“Sorry, Byeongkwan,” Junhee responds, not sounding remorseful or like he regrets his decision at all. 

Sehyoon rubs his hand over Byeongkwan’s back. “Hey, just think of it as finishing practice early. We’ll all be done in 20 minutes or so, anyway.”

Byeongkwan continues to jut out his lower lip in a pout, but he nods his assent.

Sehyoon busies himself with getting into place, and so he doesn’t see Byeongkwan walk back toward a chair in the audience until he’s already seated. But Byeongkwan /seems/ okay. He’s acting mostly the same, in any case. Sehyoon tries to shove down the burst of worry and fear that had leapt up his throat at seeing Byeongkwan’s accident. Things could have gone much, much worse. Hence why Sehyoon hates the stage equipment and over-the-top performances sometimes. 

He tries to put this out of his mind and focus as the opening beats for the next track start up.

\--

“We need to go through the new title track dance /how many times/?” Donghun asks as he looks over a notepad left behind in their studio. “The instructor is a slave driver...”

“It’s comeback season, hyung,” Yuchan answers as if it explains everything. And it kind of does. They’ve been busier than ever lately, and this fact has reflected in their schedules and practice sessions. That has had some not so pleasant effects considering the events of the previous day.

Sehyoon throws a worried glance toward Byeongkwan across the room. He /swears/ Byeongkwan is favoring his left side. He is familiar enough with the lithe dancer’s regular range of movement to know that whatever /this/ is, this is /not it/. 

But Byeongkwan continues to deflect all shows of concern and inquiries about his health. When Yuchan comes up with a towel and points out, “it looks like you’re limping,” Byeongkwan waves off the comment with his hand. When Donghun casually throws an arm around his shoulders, Byeongkwan stiffens, but at Donghun’s suspicious stare, he simply repeats his favorite motto: “I’m fine!” 

From the looks of his teammates, none of them are buying this. 

Sehyoon furrows his brow. He is not used to seeing Byeongkwan in anything other than complete control of his body. But now, after only a few warmup reps and two runthroughs, he is sweating, his breaths heaving. It seems as though it takes him entirely too much effort to remain standing upright. Even as he insists that he is “totally okay to keep going.” 

Eventually, he seems sapped of energy and is only stumbling through their choreo. It is at this point that Junhee steps in with his best leader voice, “I’m calling it. Byeongkwan, take a rest. Go back.” 

He opens his mouth to protest, but even Yuchan sends Byeongkwan a look then, and he closes his mouth again. Eyes to the floor, he nods. From the pinch of his eyebrows, Sehyoon can see that he still disagrees, but he clearly isn’t willing to challenge all of them over it. 

Sehyoon is grateful for the short break as they wait for Byeongkwan to pack up and head home. Sehyoon reaches for his water bottle as Byeongkwan makes to leave the room, but the relief is punched out of his body when Byeongkwan lets out a cry and crumples to the floor. 

Sehyoon is racing over to him before he knows what is happening. Byeongkwan’s face is twisted in pain as he clutches at his foot. 

Donghun gasps, then yells, “Byeongkwan, your ankle is all red and swollen! Why did you- HOW did you dance on this??” 

Tears leak out of the corners of the dancer’s eyes, “I- I /had/ to! We’ve got a bunch of promo performances coming up, and if I’m gonna be useful- if I’m gonna be worth my title as main dancer-” 

Donghun cuts him off, his earlier outrage seeming to soften, although he still looks scared when he glances down at Byeongkwan’s injury. “You’re worth it, Byeongkwan, okay? You’re worthy of everything, and MORE, and you still will be, practice or no practice. But you won’t be any good to yourself or others if you put yourself out of commission dancing on an ankle like this!” 

Byeongkwan sniffles but nods. 

“Never do this again,” Donghun adds. The weight of his words, the importance of his message, hangs in the air. 

…

Sehyoon is very attentive before, during, and after the trip to the doctor. As Junhee calls the manager, he hovers around Byeongkwan and asks him question after question on how his ankle is doing. Yuchan gives Byeongkwan a shoulder massage, kneading his fingers into the tense knots in his muscles, and it is hardly addressing the main problem, but Byeongkwan seems to appreciate it.

When their manager arrives, Sehyoon lifts Byeongkwan and princess-carries him into the car. 

“The splint should help,” the doctor says once they are finally in the room. After a very long and uncomfortable wait of watching Byeongkwan shift around in the waiting room chair in pain. 

Still, Sehyoon is glad. The doctor had given Byeongkwan a splint- they are all openly relieved that the wound hadn’t needed a cast- and the immobilization seems to instantly help, if Byeongkwan’s expression is anything to go on. Sehyoon feels a wave of frustration as he recalls that Byeongkwan’s involuntary displays of discomfort are the only way for him to know what’s going on with the other, since if yesterday and today have proven anything, it’s that Byeongkwan’s words are not to be trusted. The other will dismiss and hide anything concerning his health that he thinks is an obstacle to the group.

For a dancer, that is pretty reckless. Sehyoon scrubs a hand over his face and lets loose a heavy sigh. Byeongkwan looks at him sheepishly, seemingly troubled. Sehyoon instantly knows the other is overthinking, and he wants to shake his shoulders and say, ‘No, I’m not upset because you’re injured- I mean, I am, but I’m not blaming you for getting injured. And I’m worried about /you/, not our halted dance practice!’ Even Sehyoon’s internal monologue does not articulate himself well, and the doctor is continuing on, so Sehyoon will have to save that particular speech for later anyway.

“These are instructions on how to care for it,” the doctor begins, before rattling off a long list on how to ice Byeongkwan’s ankle, how he should keep it elevated, stay off it whenever possible, how long the splint and resting would be needed for it. He directs these rules primarily to Byeongkwan’s groupmates, and Junhee takes notes while Sehyoon nods and maintains firm eye contact throughout the explanation. He will commit this to memory and take it seriously to ensure as speedy a recovery as possible. 

He is still scared at how Byeongkwan had tried to push through what must have been immense pain because he felt like he had to in order to contribute... Sehyoon is going to keep a very close eye on him. To make sure he’s doing alright, of course, but also to make sure he is not practicing in secret. 

He eyes the boy fidgeting in his chair under the gaze of the doctor, and okay, so he kind of looks majorly downtrodden and pitiful right now. So Sehyoon will save the lecturing for later. He has some pampering and comforting to do first.

He always has been soft for him. 

\---

“I love movie night~” Junhee sings in a pitchy falsetto. Sehyoon knows he does this on purpose to be annoying because he is very familiar with Junhee’s high notes, and he typically sounds like an angel rather than a dying goat. 

Donghun shoves the leader playfully while Sehyoon settles up against Byeongkwan on the couch and drapes a blanket over the pair of them. He carefully lifts Byeongkwan’s injured leg into his lap and traces slow circles against his knee. 

“Ah, my gumdrop candies-” Byeongkwan states while looking to the counter. 

Before he can even finish his sentence, Yuchan is jumping up and fetching Byeongkwan his favorite snack. He smiles back at the maknae, uttering a shy, “thank you.” 

Donghun loads up the movie over the sounds of Junhee protesting that the movie is too scary. Sehyoon ignores the bickering in favor of pulling Byeongkwan closer against his side, practically enveloping him in his arms. He seems so small like this, and Sehyoon is struck with a strong desire to protect him.

Things have been different but not too different over the past couple of days. They still play around and enjoy their game nights, but anyone can see how careful the members have been in their physical interactions with Byeongkwan. 

Earlier that day, they had a V-LIVE where they did a friendship quiz. They took turns asking extremely detailed questions about themselves of the other members, and it was almost embarrassing how well they all did. Sehyoon supposes living together in such close quarters allows them to know such intimate and occasionally invasive facts about one another. 

However, they were some hiccups and gaps in knowledge. When Yuchan had asked Junhee the name of his first pet, Junhee had stared blankly at the camera. Yuchan delivered a devastating slap to Junhee’s unsuspecting arm. In response, the older of course dramatically rolled around on the bed they all had piled into.

Yet when Yuchan’s next overly-specific question about how many beauty marks he has on his back drew similar silence from Byeongkwan, Yuchan gave a very gentle smack to Byeongkwan’s shoulder. Even though the affected area was nowhere near Byeongkwan’s wounded leg. The difference in treatment was staggering, even considering that Junhee usually receives the most teasing from his groupmates.

In the same vein, when Donghun had noogied them all for insinuating he was too motherly, his knuckles rubbed softer into Byeongkwan’s fluffy hair than for the rest of them, Sehyoon is sure of it. As though he were made of glass. 

Sehyoon doesn’t know whether Byeongkwan feels appreciated or patronized by the way their attitudes toward him have shifted during his recovery. The half-hearted enacting of physical punishments from the V-LIVE as well as the way Yuchan leaped up to retrieve Byeongkwan’s candy for him are only the latest in a string of such behavior, after all. 

They are all at a bit of a loss with a Byeongkwan who is so vulnerable and unable to do things for himself. Or at least that’s what Sehyoon thinks. He personally loves to baby Byeongkwan, but he usually does it because they both like the affection and close contact... Not because Byeongkwan literally needs someone’s help to make it out of bed. 

It doesn’t help that relying on them for everything puts Byeongkwan into a bit of a funk. 

It becomes apparent later that night, when the movie is finally shut off over the sound of panicked screaming from Junhee about how he can’t sleep alone tonight. Yuchan cuddles up against him, all while laughing at him. Byeongkwan smiles softly at the group before announcing, “I’m going to take a bath.” Sehyoon watches him go, keeping an eye on him to ensure he does not trip on the way there. 

Sehyoon relaxes in his bed for a while, scrolling through his phone, when he hears a defeated sigh and a voice call out from the bathroom, “Uh... can someone...?” 

Sehyoon shoots a look toward the other bed in the room with Donghun, who is already standing. “I can go,” he explains.

But Sehyoon beats him to it as he crosses the floor toward the bathroom. “It’s okay, I’ve got it this time.”

Because this is already the second time in two days that Byeongkwan has had to call someone to lift him out of the bath. Not to mention that he is taking baths in the first place- Byeongkwan hadn’t seemed bothered at the time when the doctor had explained that showers were a no go. He even stated, “That’ll be relaxing!” But after a long night, Sehyoon can imagine that a quick shower would be much more Byeongkwan’s speed than a forced bath.

Sehyoon enters the bathroom slowly. He is careful to give the other some privacy, but Byeongkwan only huffs and raises his arms in resignation. The gesture would seem childish, petulant almost, if Sehyoon didn’t know better. Didn’t know that Byeongkwan must be upset, must have tried to get out on his own, as ill-advised as such an action would be.

Sehyoon leans down. He guides Byeongkwan’s outreached hands to wrap around the back of his neck, waiting for the other to clasp his hands together to increase the security of his grip. Byeongkwan seems to relax into his hold, settling just a little bit, and Sehyoon can’t quite help the fond smile that stretches across his face. 

The contentedness is tempered once he manages to get Byeongkwan out of the bath and into some pajamas. He brings the other to his bed, and Byeongkwan holds onto the elbow of Sehyoon’s sleeve. Looking a bit like a kicked puppy, he states, “Are you sure I haven’t been too much of a burden? Because I feel like one... I’ve been asking you guys for way too much over the past couple days.”

“Hey, no, not at all. We’ve helped you because you need it right now, and because we want to.” 

“You’re just saying that because you have to,” Byeongkwan mutters. Still, he blushes a pretty shade of pink.

“Would you believe me if the rest of us say it too?” He gestures to the door as if to summon the other members. Byeongkwan’s rosy cheeks darken in tint, but he nods his assent.

He raises a hand to his mouth and calls out, “Guys, can you help me tell Byeongkwan that we love him and care for him?”

“DID SOMEONE SAY LOVING AND CARING FOR KWANNIE-HYUNG?!” Yuchan bursts through the door as though he had been waiting right outside. And maybe he had. Yuchan is weird like that. 

Junhee is only a few steps behind him, however, and Donghun soon follows. 

“Is this about Kwannie feeling like he’s troubling us?” Junhee tries. Got it in one go- there’s that leader’s intuition that Sehyoon so admires about him. 

Byeongkwan turns his head shyly toward the floor in response. 

“You know how much you mean to us, right?” Junhee begins. “We would do anything to help you get better, because you’re /you/. I wouldn’t just give up my yogurts for anyone. Those are mine under threat of death, or for any of you guys if you’re feeling down.” 

Sehyoon nods along. He wisely decides not to mention that he has indulged himself with Junhee’s particular pick-me-up without his knowledge many a time.

Donghun continues after him, “We know you’d do the same for us. And you’re always working so hard, so can’t you let us care for you a little bit?”

Byeongkwan seems to brighten at this. His fingers interlock in his lap in a gesture Sehyoon recognizes as one that showcases Byeongkwan’s moments of insecurity. “But... do you really mean it? Are you sure that I’m not- not resting too much? I know you’re all out there busting your asses preparing while I’ve been off our schedules...”

Sehyoon runs his hand through Byeongkwan’s still-wet hair. “You deserve to rest,” he says simply. Byeongkwan lets himself go limp in Sehyoon’s arms at that. He could leave it there, but he has so much more he could say, so much more he wants Byeongkwan to understand. So he tries. “I’d get lost trying to cover your part a million times if it meant you stayed healthy.”

“And I’d carry you across mountains!” Yuchan adds, not one to be outdone. “It would be easy, too, since you’re so much smaller,” he says around a mouthful of giggles that his teammates soon echo. 

“So cheesy...” Byeongkwan slaps Yuchan’s shoulder but seems to get choked up halfway through the affectionate touch.

“But hey, your absence is definitely felt at practice, and we need you. So you have to rest and let us help so you can get better soon, yeah?” Junhee concludes. This is enough to cause a few stray tears to spill over onto Byeongkwan’s cheeks. Sehyoon wipes them away and kisses his temple. 

None of them return to their own rooms that night, even though the bed is far too small for the lot of them. None of them seem to mind, and Byeongkwan looks cozy and comfortable snuggled up in the middle of them. 

Sehyoon falls asleep with a smile on his face.

\--

Byeongkwan’s recovery period has seemed altogether too long. They all celebrate when they go with him to the doctor and he exits the room sans splint. 

“Congratulations,” Donghun says as he pats Byeongkwan on the back. Junhee and Yuchan both shoot beaming smiles in his direction, and Sehyoon can feel that his own expression mirrors theirs.

“Ready to get back to practice with this bunch of idiots?” Sehyoon asks him.

Byeongkwan nods enthusiastically, although they both know he needs another day or two to get his leg back to strength, slowly working his way back up to full dances. It’s doctor’s orders, instructor’s orders, manager’s orders. Sehyoon would have ordered as much himself if they hadn’t, but he knows that despite the startling lack of insight Byeongkwan showed when aggravating his injury the day after the accident, Byeongkwan has at least that much common sense.

Still, when the day does come that he returns to practice, they all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

And then, not long after, they return to the ‘scene of the crime.’ Their concert venue.

Byeongkwan seems just fine, as he continuously assures them. He does until they walk on stage near the offending lift, anyway. The staff have assured them, very apologetically and emphatically, that the lift has been fixed and inspected again and again. It has a failsafe so that it won’t lock up again, or so they say.

Still, Byeongkwan seems wary. He gives the lift a wide berth until the time comes that they actually need to use it. The song starts, and the music thrumming in Sehyoon’s ears isn’t enough to cancel out the thrumming of his heart as he watches Byeongkwan. He tries to shoot him a reassuring glance as his part approaches, but Byeongkwan isn’t looking in his direction. 

It must have been a truly traumatic experience for him, that fall. Of course he’s nervous to try again. They can all tell. But through shaking hands and stuttering breaths, he squares his shoulders and steps up to the lift. 

Sehyoon is a little afraid just watching after seeing firsthand what the accident had done to Byeongkwan. The injury overall hadn’t been /terrible/, but it sure looked and felt it. And the pain and emotional suffering it put Byeongkwan through made sure none of the members were big fans of the stage lift trick overall. 

Byeongkwan pushes past his reluctance and delivers a truly glowing performance of his dance solo during the bridge. The rest watch him in awe, even as they are supposed to be getting into position for the final section of the song. 

When the stage lift lowers, this time without incident, Byeongkwan steps down. He breathes heavily, though this time it is with exhaustion rather than fear or pain. Sehyoon stares with pride at what the other has managed- as well as everything he has accomplished up to this day. Byeongkwan finally meets his eyes, and they are positively shining. 

Sehyoon remembers the others in the room when they cheer and clap for Byeongkwan’s performance. They ignore the outro to the song as they surround him and hug him. Each of their smiles match Byeongkwan’s own. 

They had taken one step down that day, the day of Byeongkwan’s fall, but now it feels as if they have taken five steps up. 

Sehyoon links hands with Byeongkwan and internally expresses his gratitude to whatever being has put him where he is now, with four others who mean everything to him and who are by his side through anything. 

‘Thank you.’


End file.
